The Winchesters star and executive producer Jensen Ackles talks about the show's five-season plan, even after its CW cancellation. A prequel spinoff to the long-running Supernatural, which followed John (Drake Rodger) and Mary (Meg Donnelly) in the 1970s, The Winchesters was among several dramas at risk of cancellation due to the change of ownership at the CW. Nexstar, the network's new owners, had signaled a shift away from original programming in favor of acquired international series and sports content in an attempt to increase profitability. The Winchesters was a casualty of this approach, officially getting cancelled, but the series is confirmed to be looking for a new home.
Speaking to Entertainment Weekly, Ackles opened up about The Winchesters' cancellation and future. The actor, who also reprises the role of Dean Winchester in the prequel, struck an optimistic tone about the spinoff's potential resurrection. Following in the vein of the original series created by Eric Kripke, it's mentioned that The Winchesters similarly has a five-season plan. Ackles details some of it if the show returns and how it might lead to Supernatural's return. Read the quote below:
“We were talking not only about story and where we wanted to take our cast, we were talking about who we were going to bring back from the mothership. We were putting together a lot of tricks to keep up our sleeve and keep it exciting, not just for the new fans but for the returning fans as well. Hopefully we get to execute that, I just think that there’s a way to keep this alive and it would be a shame to let that go. And then we don’t know what it would look like beyond that but there was certainly a way of tying this into like a possible return of Supernatural down the line, which Robbie and I had talked about. It’s something that Jared and I have talked about, what that might look like.”
What Would The Winchesters Season 2 Look Like?
In what might end up being The Winchesters series finale, Dean introduces himself to the younger version of his parents (John and Mary) as a hunter named James Hetfield. He explains that he was searching for a universe that included a happy ending for his family and gives John and Mary his journal. He also warns Mary about the yellow-eyed demon, who kills her in Supernatural's first episode. It's almost a full-circle moment that allows The Winchesters to function as a limited series, but as Ackles says, there's more story to tell.
The Winchesters season 2 likely would have continued John and Mary's slow-burn relationship. Furthermore, Ackles mentions that it would have included more returning faces from Supernatural, as season 1 did. The show's first installment included appearances by characters such as Bobby, Jack, Rowena, and others.
But most intriguingly, Ackles mentions that The Winchesters could potentially lead to a revival of Supernatural itself. Although no details were revealed about how this could work (whether it's a different version of Sam and Dean or whether the revival would track their afterlife adventures), it might be an enticing enough project that helps the spinoff get saved, with the #SaveTheWinchesters campaign now in progress.
Source: EW